Posted by Waterlily on July 21, 2001, at 20:02:56
In reply to Re: Tricyclic Serum Levels » SalArmy4me, posted by Elizabeth on July 20, 2001, at 15:44:21
> > Clinicians sure do serum levels of imipramine, desipramine, and nortriptyline--I could consider a psychiatrist inept if he didn't do them, knowing how vital serum levels are to those drugs' successes:
>
> That may be true, but in actual practise, most psychiatrists only order a serum level if there's some specific reason to believe that the patient might not be metabolising the tricylic properly (or in the presence of another drug which may alter its metabolism).Just an interesting note on this topic - I'm a healthy 32 year old woman, 125 lbs, 5'8" tall. My psychiatrist had a serum imipramine level drawn about a month after I started on imipramine. I was on 75 mg., a dose that normally is not enough to be therapeutic. However, the blood test showed that the level was in the high therapeutic range, near being too much. My psychiatrist says that you never know when you'll encounter someone like this, so he always has the blood level monitered. I had a test back in November and I'm scheduled to have another test in a week or so.
poster:Waterlily
thread:70659
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010720/msgs/71254.html